Japanese shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has placed an order at CSSC-affiliated Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) for the construction of an ice-breaking tanker.
The 54,800 cu m vessel will be chartered to project company LLC Arctic LNG 2, whose largest shareholder is Russia-based PAO Novatek with a 60% stake.
No price has been revealed for the newbuild that will deliver in 2024 and be deployed to transport condensate from the LNG/condensate plant inside the Arctic Circle on the Gydan Peninsula, mainly to Europe via the Northern Sea Route.
The contract follows a charter deal in October 2020 for three ice-breaking LNG vessels to serve the Arctic LNG 2 project from 2023. MOL has also operated three ice-breaking LNG carriers on the Northern Sea Route for the Yamal LNG project since March 2018.
